Simple Mediterranean Quiche Recipe - A Red Spatula (2024)

There is something so magical about the perfect blend of flaky pie crust and creamy filling that make quiche so irresistible. If you feel the same way I do, you are going to love this Simple Mediterranean Quiche Recipe. This is a vegetarian quiche recipe that everyone will love!

Let me start off by recommending my favorite pie crust, it is flaky nutty flavored dough that you will fall in love with as I have. This is a dough I have perfected and made hundreds of times. Try it, you won't be disappointed. I also have my new 3 ingredient pie crust if you are wanting a crust with no wheat flour.

What is quiche?

If you are unfamiliar with what quiche is, let me give you a quick explanation. It is a pie, made with a flaky pie crust (this is essential) and a savory egg custard that is baked in the pie crust.

While most people think of quiche as a French food, history reports that it actually originated in Germany in the middle ages. Even with its history, here in the United States, it did not become popular until the 1950s.

Quiche has only gained in popularity since that time as a breakfast, brunch, or even dinner dish. It is also so popular as the filling flavor options are endless. You can customize this any way you want!

3 components of a perfect quiche

Flaky pie crust

The base for creating a perfect quiche is in the crust. Yes, you can save time and buy your pie crust. Pillsbury is generally thought to be pretty good if you want to go that route. I would however recommend homemade if you can find the time.

My favorite recipe for pie dough is this one. It is a partial wheat crust that is flaky, nutty, and the best blend for quiche! Another recipe I developed recently is this 3 ingredient pie dough. If you want a whole grain pie dough, here is a recipe for 100% spelt flour pie dough.

The pie dough will be blind-baked, meaning baked without the filling first, then baked with the egg filling. This will ensure the bottom of the crust does not get soggy but cooks thoroughly. I will explain more about this below.

If you are wondering whether or not you need to grease your pie pan, I have just the answer for you in this informative post.

Creamy egg custard

The filling for the quiche is a blend of fresh eggs, heavy cream, and milk. The combination of both the heavy cream and milk produces the perfect creamy texture that quiche is known for.

You can also use half and half in place of the 2, but I always prefer the blend personally, I feel like it gives your quiche the creamiest texture.

Add-ins

Flavor add-ins for a quiche are endless.

There are so many meats that add unique flavor- bacon, sausage, ham, etc, etc.

Cheese- I have tried quiche with such a wide variety of cheese, you wouldn't believe it. Gruyere is a favorite, as is blue cheese, gouda, sharp cheddar, or even feta like this quiche.

Vegetables also make such an excellent flavor addition. One thing to be mindful of is if the vegetables have a lot of moisture, be sure to sauté them first to reduce the moisture. Otherwise, you will wind up with a very wet filling.

Ingredients

This list is extensive, but I promise the blend creates an unforgettable Mediterranean quiche.

• Pie dough- as noted above, you can use homemade pie dough or store-bought. Just be sure if it is homemade, that it is chilled first.
• Eggs- we will be using whole eggs. I have seen quiche recipes that only use egg whites to reduce calories. I promise it is not worth it.
• Heavy cream- while this recipe doesn't call for too much heavy cream, it will make such a difference.
• Milk- As I noted above, I love using the combination of milk and heavy cream for the best texture of quiche.
• Salt- it only takes a little as the olives and feta are so salty.
• Olive oil- for sauteeing the vegetables.
• Kalamata olives- you can leave these out if you don't like them, but that salty flavor might surprise you in how good it is.
• Sundried tomatoes- these tomatoes are bursting with flavor and make this quiche wonderful. I do not recommend leaving them out.
• Feta cheese- this is a classic Mediterranean-flavored cheese and one I do not recommend you skip. It is salty and flavorful.
• Onions- I used a sweet onion.
• Zucchini- is a must for this vegetarian quiche.
• Garlic- minced garlic is preferred over garlic powder or garlic salt. The flavor of fresh far outshines the powder.
• Spinach- this quiche is loaded with delicious vegetables. If you are using frozen spinach, be sure to thaw first then squeeze out all the excess liquid.
• Oregano- You can either use fresh chopped oregano or dried as I did.

How to make

The pie crust

Rolling pie crust- Roll it on a lightly floured surface. I was using a 9-inch pie pan, which means I rolled the pie dough to about 14-16 inches. This will give you enough to compensate for the sides of the pie pan and to double over on the edges for crimping.

Fit the pan- Place the rolled pie dough into your pan. Press it into the pan, fold over the edges, and crimp. You can see what this looks like in the video above.

Blind bake- If you aren't familiar with blind baking, here is how it goes. Place a piece of parchment paper into the pie crust. Be gentle so you don't disrupt the shape of the pie crust. Fill the parchment with pie weights or beans. Place in your preheated oven. More on blind baking is below.

After 10 minutes, remove the parchment and pie weights gently. Place bake in the oven for another 5-7 minutes. Set the crust aside while you prep the filling.

See Also

Deep-Fried Sesame Ball (5 Ingredients Grandma's Recipe) - Tiffy CooksDel Frisco's Butter Cake Recipe - Wasian Cookery50 Egg Yolk Recipes for Leftover Egg Yolks | NeighborFoodApple Crisp Recipe | Spoon Fork Bacon

Making the filling

Sauté- the first step if you are using vegetables is to sauté them to reduce the moisture content. I used onions and zucchini and both have a high moisture content that is released when they are baked in quiche.

I sauté the zucchini and onions first in heated olive oil. Remember to heat the pan first, then add the oil, then the zucchini and onions. Let them sauté for several minutes, then add in the spinach and garlic.

The zucchini and onions need longer to sauté, and the garlic will burn if it is added too early. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before it is added to the egg mixture.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs, heavy cream, oregano, and salt. Don't whip them too much, but ensure they are mixed well.

Next, add in the sundried tomatoes, feta, and kalamata olives. Mix well. Last is in the sauteed vegetables.

Baking the quiche

Now it is time to bake the quiche. Fill the blind-baked crust and move it to the oven. The hard part is over and now it is a waiting game.

The egg custard will puff in the oven and once it is baked, if you tap in the center, you will notice it will bounce just a touch.

Remove it from the oven. Let it sit for about 7-10 minutes before serving. This will ensure the filling is set.

Top tips

• Be sure to blind-bake the pie crust. If you pour in the filling without blind baking first, the pie crust will be soggy and not as good.
• It is important to work on all parts of the quiche at the same time. While the crust is blind baking, cook the vegetables. While the vegetables are cooking, mix together your eggs. Working on all parts at the same time will keep time spent on the quiche down.
• I know there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but I promise, each has its place at the table and in the quiche. They blend together perfectly to create a rich, flavor-intense quiche.
• If you have never made a quiche before, don't let the process intimidate you. Follow the steps carefully and watch the video as needed to help visualize what you need to do. While it is a little time-consuming, it is well worth it.
• If you are using dried, sundried tomatoes, be sure to hydrate first. You do this by adding enough hot water to the tomatoes. Let them sit for about 10-20 minutes. Drain the water and chop the tomatoes.
• Be sure your oven is preheated BEFORE you add the pie crust or the filled quiche. Do not add it in before it is heated all the way. You want a hot oven to perfectly bake the pie crust. Reduce the heat for cooking the filled quiche. I like it hotter for blind-baking (395 degrees), then cooler for the filled quiche (350 degrees).

What is blind baking?

Blind baking is also known as pre-baking. It is partially cooking the crust to ensure it is cooked through for your baked goods. This is a common practice with many pies, and of course quiche.

Why blind bake? Simple, to be sure the pie crust is cooked perfectly no matter the filling. Some recipes have a filling that will cook much more quickly than the pie crust will. Blind-baking will also keep you from getting soggy bottoms. There is nothing worse than cutting into a perfect pie or quiche and noticing the bottom is soggy! Yuck! Blind baking is the method for ensuring this won't happen.

All you will need for this technique is the shaped pie crust, parchment paper, and pie weights or uncooked beans. The weights or beans serve a really important purpose, especially with all-butter pie dough. They will hold the pie dough in place when the butter melts in the oven and the crust will want to shrink a bit. The weight will reduce shrinkage and help the crust to keep its shape.

Roll your pie dough and form it into your pan. Crimp the edges. Place a piece of parchment gently into the unbaked pie crust. Fill with pie weights. Place in the preheated oven.

Bake for 10 minutes with the weights in. Then carefully remove it from the oven and VERY carefully take out the parchment and weights.

Return it to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Pull the pie crust from the oven and it is done!

Recommended tools

Pie pans are not expensive and there are so many to choose from. My classic pie pan has always been glass pans. They are so easy to use and pretty inexpensive.

Another really great pie pan is this one from Emile Henry. It not only bakes really well but is so pretty for serving.

If you have not tried pie weights, I highly recommend them. These are the weight I show in the video and photos and the ones I use more often.

I always use a food processor for making my pie dough as it is the easiest way. This Cuisinart food processor is one I have had for about 20 years and it is a workhorse!

• Breakfast
• Baked